You saw it, but it may have been a bogus story that JapanToday got suckering into “reporting” (copying) from Shukan Jitsuwa (“Weekly True Stories”), which is a Japanese weekly tabloid wanking rag for men.
Never fear. Google Cache still has it! :-)

The sales turnover by existing golden arches outlets, as announced by the company last month, showed a decline of 8% from 2013. In terms of number of customers, the count during the same fiscal period fell by 10.7%. Its World Cup sponsorship—and special limited edition menu during the FIFA tournament notwithstanding—patrons continue to flee: revenues have declined year-on for five straight months, and the number of people making purchases has fallen for 14 consecutive months.

“In January of this year, ‘Makku’ posted an increase in sales at existing outlets for the first time in seven months; but that was owing to a special limited menu during its ‘American vintage’ campaign,” a securities analyst tells the magazine. “The year before, it had not conducted a campaign of similar scale, so that lowered the hurdle, so to speak, but even then the number of customers during this past January dropped year-on by 9.7%.

“The chain’s ability to attract customers has suffered a major decline. I suppose if things become worse, the U.S. headquarters won’t stand still.”

The Japanese affiliates’ declining fortunes are threatening to become a huge headache for the head office.

Back in 2004, when McDonald’s Japan was going through another rough period, it brought in Eiko Harada, the former president of Apple Computer Japan, as president. The “Harada Magic,” as it came to be known, resulted in a rapid turnaround. Then in August 2013, around the middle of the fiscal year, Canadian Sarah Casanova was brought in as president and Harada was kicked upstairs to be chairman and president of the holding company, but without voting rights—an act on the part of the U.S. head office seen as akin to treating Harada’s as a “Class A war criminal.” (A posting on Yahoo Japan explains how this term has nothing to do with war, but is frequently misused in modern-day journalism when criticizing politicians or businessmen whose decisions result in tragic consequences.)

One of Harada’s policies was to promote the sell-off of company-owned outlets to franchisers, the notion being that the sales of a franchise would bring in revenues while at the same time lowering labor costs. Unfortunately this policy had a negative impact on staff motivation.

“There’s a big difference in the pride felt by staff when they are an employee of McDonald’s, as opposed to a worker at a franchise. That led to a drop in the quality of service and loss of customers,” explains a marketing observer.

As a result of nearly 10 years under Harada, many experienced workers who knew their job inside out came to feel the organization was bringing in “too many amateur owners,” and they began leaving to seek employment at other companies.

If the new management is unable to turn the company around, what are its future prospects? Shukan Jitsuwa’s answer comes as a bit far-fetched.

“Along with closing its unprofitable outlets, ‘Makku’ has taken notice of the trend toward morning-oriented lifestyles and has been cutting the number of shops that operate on a 24-hour basis,” a business reporter is quoted as saying. “But if the company fails to turn things around, we can’t rule out that the U.S. headquarters will ‘play its withdrawal card’ and decide to pull out of Japan.”

What? Pull out of Japan?? After 43 years since its modest first outlet began dispensing treats from the Ginza 4-chome intersection, could anyone possibly imagine McDonald’s contemplating a departure from Japan? It’s a notion that, like Mac fried potatoes, needs to be taken with a few grains of salt.

The big boys need to make peace, get together and start offering edible food…

Americans Are Totally Over McDonald’s, Taco Bell And KFChuffingtonpost.com / 2014/07/02
…survey, released on Wednesday, ranked regional chain In-N-Out-Burger the industry’s best hamburger chain, based on food quality, value and service. Rubio’s Fresh Mexican Grill was the No. 1 Mexican chain, followed by Chipotle, while Chick-fil-A ranked highest among chicken chains.
The results track with sales results at many of the major fast-food chains, which are struggling to find the right recipe to woo younger U.S. diners who increasingly are seeking fresher, healthier food.
“More and more, food quality – not just low price – is emerging as a deciding-factor for many Americans,” said Tod Marks, senior projects editor for Consumer Reports.
Marks called results Consumer Reports’ poll of 32,405 subscribers, a “wake-up call” for the industry: “Our survey clearly shows the big guys need to respond.”More…